From The 54 Film Fest Creator

Who We Are

I competed in my first timed film contest when I was 18 years old. Going up against 59 other teams, the odds were stacked against mine, as we were the least experienced. We quickly pushed any concept of winning out of our minds and focused on the task at hand - creating an engaging film in a short amount of time, with little resources, and no sleep. This task molded me into the filmmaker I am today. If I could produce under those kinds of restraints, I could produce in any environment.

The 54 Film Fest carries on this spirit. We've created a contest that will push filmmakers to their limits - allowing them the opportunity to prove to themselves that filmmaking is what they want to be doing either professionally or as a hobbyist.

The contest is simple: Get a team of filmmakers together (friends and family are great!), show up at the Inception Meeting (bring the whole gang if you'd like!), draw your genre, get your assigned Action, Line of Dialogue, and Prop, then go out and produce a 4-7 minute short film within 54 total hours. Once completed, turn in your short film at the drop-off before time runs out.

Then, a couple weeks later, after judges have had a look at the films, invite your friends and family out to watch your movie on the big screen - along with all the other competing teams. Make sure you stick around for the award ceremony in case you get to go home that night as an award winning filmmaker!

For a complete list of rules, see the rules page. If you have any questions, reach out to your local city producer, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.